Hours: open every day except Tuesday, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. for dinner

Dinner for two (without alcohol): $40-50

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EDMONTON - Thanks to the peculiar configuration of an otherwise unremarkable Beverly strip mall, the kitchen of Million Thai restaurant enjoys a full-length glass storefront looking onto the parking lot, from where, should you choose, you can watch every detail of your food, and everyone else’s, being prepared.

That may explain why the kitchen is so immaculately clean and tidy, and why every bit of food, from the spring rolls to the Thai sausage, is made in-house, according to the restaurant’s enthusiastic owner, Tony Ungpakawa.

He and his partner opened Million Thai at 4109 118th Ave. about a month ago in this less-than-thriving neighbourhood, sorely in need of some restaurant options, and already, the dining room beside the kitchen is humming.

It’s a pleasant, simple room, decorated with small, framed photos of Thailand, clean and tidy like the kitchen, reflecting the same appealing optimism as its proprietor. Open for lunch and dinner six days a week (closed Tuesdays), the restaurant had yet to receive its liquor licence on the recent night we visited, but was expecting it any day.

We opted instead for the ginger tea recommended by our server, a fortuitously spicy and delicious mix of fresh ginger, hot water, and sugar or syrup. No need for gin when ginger will do, right?

Our food options were much more extensive. Because we couldn’t settle on a single appetizer, our foursome opted for the Million Thai platter ($16), which included five different items in pairs: coconut prawns, crisp and crunchy with plenty of coconut in the breading; “golden bags,” deep-fried pouches of ground pork mixed with vegetables; tiny, plump “e-sarn” Thai sausages stuffed with flavourful, slightly spicy pork; and vegetable spring rolls.

The platter would have been just enough to whet our appetites had we not topped it up with some salt-dried calamari ($9) at the Ungpakawa’s suggestion. (He’s just so darned enthusiastic, we hated to disappoint him.) The dish was, as promised, crisp and salty, the tubes of calamari tender and mild inside.

We tried several of the house-recommended specialties listed on the menu, including the massamun beef ($15), a pot of beautifully stewed beef and potato in a rich, coconut-milk broth brightened with a touch of tamarind for a sweet-tart bite. The pad cashew nut with pork ($13), like the other stir-fried dishes we tried, was loaded with bright chunks of crisp vegetables, this one in a sweet and salty, soy-based sauce.

The pineapple fried rice ($11) was a particular hit, again with lots of great vegetables and chunks of fresh pineapple, topped with a flavourful sprinkle of crumbled, dried pork to be stirred into the mix for added flavour.

The more familiar Thai dishes like pad thai ($13) and som tum (a spicy green papaya salad, $11), were also good, but perhaps less remarkable for their familiarity.

The young lady who served us was friendly and efficient, her good work supplemented by several appearances from Ungpakawa, who manages the front-of-house while his partner takes care of the kitchen, chatting not just to us, but to most of the customers in the restaurant.

A takeout menu (with free delivery in the area), is also available, listing combination dinners for two or four, ranging in price from $30 to $65 each.

Vegetarian, gluten-free, spicy and peanut items are all carefully noted on the menu. The restaurant is also vigilant, at least in these early days, about taking feedback to heart, responding to, and making adjustments based on the online comments it has received so far, the vast majority of them positive.

One diner’s online comments about the tom yum soup, for example, prompted the owners to adjust the recipe because they thought the customer had a valid point, Ungpakawa told us.

He also emphasized that everyone involved in owning, cooking or serving at Million Thai is Thai. He himself has worked in Thai restaurants around the city honing his skills, and he’s confident he can build a loyal following once customers taste his food.

It’s that kind of willingness to please that makes Million Thai and its staff so likable, and that so far, seems to be earning it support from the neighbourhood and beyond.

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